St. Matthew campus ministry program helps students deepen faith

Tim Forbes, principal of St. Matthew School in Franklin and former dean of campus ministry and student life at Father Ryan High School, has been returning to his student life roots lately.

He, along with the assistance of St. Matthew Church, the parents of St. Matthew middle school students, and the middle school faculty at St. Matthew, has begun a new campus ministry program at St. Matthew. It’s open to sixth through eighth graders at St. Matthew and meets on weekends.

“We had a meeting with our middle school parents last year to get a sense of what they wanted to see offered in terms of student life, and many of them wanted more opportunities for their kids to grow in their Catholic identity, and to express their faith in and out of school,” Forbes explained. “We got everything up and running this past September.”

At Father Ryan, the campus ministry activities offered are geared towards students of a more mature age, sometimes requiring travel. There, Forbes was in charge of coordinating trips to Washington, D.C., for the March for Life, alternative spring break trips out of state, training and scheduling students to serve at daily and all-school Masses, helping direct class retreats, and other activities.

The programming at St. Matthew is geared towards younger students; much of it similar to what can be found at a typical parish’s youth group.

“We meet on Sunday nights. We have games, prayer, talks, and praise and worship. We’ve been introducing the kids to Eucharistic adoration, and they like that a lot. There are also community service opportunities, where the kids volunteer for the Special Olympics, support our sister parish in Haiti, and volunteer at Camp Marymount,” Forbes said.

“Everything is age-appropriate,” he added. “You’d be surprised at how much kids this age desire to grow in their relationship with Jesus and live out their faith.”

Laying the groundwork for the program required much cooperation between the school, the parish, and the students’ parents.

“We really couldn’t have done this without our entire community’s support,” Forbes said. “The parents have been onboard since the beginning, since they’re the ones who wanted this. They wanted their kids to be more engaged in the Church.

“Our pastor, Father Mark Sappenfield, has been very generous in allowing us to use the church building and assisting us at Eucharistic adoration,” Forbes said. “Our middle school faculty is involved too. This really has taken a lot of collaboration to make it work.”

The St. Matthew School motto is “Seeking knowledge, modeling Christ, and serving others.” Forbes says the campus ministry program strives to reflect that.

“Campus ministry kids seek knowledge as they actively want to grow in their faith within the Catholic tradition. They model Christ as they strive to live out their faith. And they serve others as they serve their school and parish communities,” he said.

The program at St. Matthew is the first of its kind for a Catholic grade school in the Nashville diocese. But Forbes doesn’t think of it as groundbreaking.

“I can only speak for St. Matthew families, and what this community wanted to see happen at its school,” he said. “Parents of our middle school students came to us and expressed their desire for more opportunities for their kids to grow in their faith, and this is how we responded.”

Monica Kelsey, sixth grade religion teacher at the school, is the campus ministry director. She has found that campus ministry activities have helped her students become more engaged in the classroom.

“Campus ministry has allowed me and my students to get to know each other outside of school,” she said. “It’s a more laid back, easy-going atmosphere, and we’re still encouraging each other to grow in our faith. And I think it’s changed the way I interact with my students in class. We’ve really bonded with each other and the kids seem more excited to learn about their faith at school.”

She and Forbes are both struck by how enthusiastic the students have been about getting involved.

“How many kids show up on a typical weekend depends on what other activities are happening at the school that day,” Forbes said. “Sometimes sporting events are happening, and only 30 will show up, while other times we have more than 90 there. That’s the vast majority of the middle school students, which is exciting to see. A little while back, the eighth grade girls met up one night for Bible study, and only one student failed to make it. We hope that things will continue in this direction.”

“It brings me so much joy to see my students’ joy unfold as they grow in their relationship with Jesus,” Kelsey added. “Joy comes from the Holy Spirit, and it’s so great to see Him working in their lives. Sometimes the kids don’t even realize it. But sometimes they do, and it’s so incredible to see the lightbulbs going off when they have those aha moments. It’s really an indescribable feeling.”

She and Forbes hope that the students who get involved in campus ministry will continue to grow in their faith throughout their lives.

“I hope that our students continue to build their relationships with Jesus,” she said. “I hope they come to see their faith as a positive, uplifting part of their lives. I hope they understand that you can have a meaningful relationship with Jesus and still have a happy, joyful life.”

Forbes agrees. “I hope our kids come to a deeper understanding of God’s love for them. I hope they grow in community as they grow in their faith together. And I hope they understand how much of a gift young people are to the Church.”